Comment Archives: stories: Letters + Opinion

How many times can you say "Sorry sweetheart we don't read the NCJ would you like a good book." I don't find this piece disgusting but I do find it , as an educator and mother, inappropriate. I want our young people to be exposed to relevant news but I'd like to have some control over the ways ( and time) they learn about lovemaking or sexuality, as you will. Call me old fashioned but I'm proud of that.

Thank you Mr.Kausen for this great read. Thank you for your years of teaching! Thank you for being my teacher and my friend! You have blessed many lives including mine and my daughters! Enjoy your retirement with Mrs.K!

How rare it is to read anything by a local educator, a strange reality considering there are two local college campuses.

How do you expect to "understand " anything if there's no effort whatsoever to report where we've been and what we've lost in how we treat youths?

Back when a part time job could pay for college, the California Employment and Training Administration was cut by Ronald Reagan and Humboldt County lost about $13 million each year in assistance emancipating youths unsuited to foster care but who are willing to work and attend college.

Today, local leaders have ensured that Humboldt County is fully funded with its $15 million expansion of the county jail, a new $20 million juvenile hall, and the recently completed $15 million federal courthouse in McKinleyville where the first civil trial found Eureka police at fault for killing a 22 year old in his front yard. No EPD policy changes are forthcoming.

If you're serious about understanding local youths you must do your own research.

Not one local media source has logged-on to the county's website and searched for the county's "Trends Report", a quarterly analysis meriting routine reporting. It details shocking statistics in every category of human health 2 and 3 times worse than state averages...youth unemployment, drug fatalities, suicide, infant mortality, child abuse, major illnesses, and on and on...

This county, its media, its educators, elected and appointed representatives, and professionals have circled their wagons in silence.

Local residents, including Mr. Kausen and Mr. Millet should be outraged.

Terence James Dehart In my experience most people do not want to be led. They would like honest data on which to make an informed decision. Sadly it seems as if the media (Yes, I know, a generality) has decided that it is best if they be guided by the wiser heads who have the power to ration the truth.

One of the most painful lessons I ever learned was that raw intelligence and reading books and listening to NPR was overrated if not unhelpful when attempting to lead people. Perhaps if you stepped out of your educated bubble you could learn about people who think differently and lead them more effectively.

In my opinion Trump won because so many voters have reached a level of distrust in the media. When The New York Times or Fox News reported on their particular darling it was painfully obvious who the reporters wanted to win. The old school concept of impartiality and objective reporting have gone the way of the dodo, so if a damning fact emerged it was weighed against the media's bias and often discarded, whether it was a real fact or not. Special Investigators and Investigative Committees lost credibility as offense after offense was apparently whitewashed. Trump is the other side of the "Hope and Change" coin. Trump gave folks who've felt disenfranchised Hope that things would actually Change, this time in their direction.

Let's get accurate, Chief: Americans did not elect Donald Trump as president; the electoral college did. That's a grand total of 55 people in the entire State of California who had a voice in this election.

"We should recognize the importance of sitting down across political, ethnic, gender, educational and other perspectives and simply talking to each other to explain what our priorities are, and how we justify them. We simply need to understand each other, and to see if we have any common concerns that we can work together to address." (Rollin Richmond).

Please name one historic, successful social justice struggle where that worked.

Richmond illustrates the same old claptrap that inspired HSU visiting lecturer Ralph Nader to congratulate all HSU graduates in their achievement of a degree in "harmony ideology".